The River Thames

September 5th

For the past 15 years we have hosted a small friends and family regatta on our stretch of the
Thames. It's a hands on weekend for everyone involved and everyone from the youngest to the oldest takes ownership and is involved in either food prep, organising, running the event, entertainment, tidying up, safety, communications etc, you name it and someone within the group has to do it. The week end belongs to everyone and although it takes place at our home, it is not our regatta but every ones. It is one of my favourite if not 'the' favourite weekend of my year. It has to be said not all take part in the water activities, but there is so much going on over the weekend that there is something for everyone. Long may this regatta continue and I hope the younger generation continue it, it's looking good so far...

Want a glimpse?

It all begins with the invite. Last year saw the first video invite and we decided to carry on with it again this year...

One family arrived with printed t-shirts after
protesting at a prize giving judgement last year...
'We woz robbed'

Not everyone makes the Friday night meal
and we always eat outside

The youngest at 2 and the oldest at 80, it's a weekend for everyone

Proper Swallow and Amazon boats,
two of them made by our friends

Some of us dress the part

Buoyancy aides are a must requirement for the children,
adults are allowed to choose whether to wear them or not

We swim, boat, windsurf, kayak, canoe and row

Each year we seem to add more 'kit'

There is the odd entertainment, different each year

The family rowing race has become a tad raucous over the years

The forecast was not great so we
brought a fire pit to keep us warm

Warm popcorn served on returning from the river

We always begin the Saturday
eating with Rosie's tit bits

We watched the latest Brimble boat video

We couldn't all fit in to watch the video

Prize giving is generally outside too
but not this year, it poured with rain!

Prizes range from medals to moose heads!

Everyone who is presented with a F.O.C (Friends of the Classics)
medal is required to wear it to prize-giving. Some years
the odd person forgets, here a little ditty had been composed
to apologise and beg forgiveness!

After the prize giving we have main dinner.Due to the weather for the first time in15 years we had to eat the BBQ indoors :(

We chat till the wee hours in the morning when someone else is giving the task of cooking breakfast for the masses before everyone departs for another year...

What a fabulous occasion. It looks like you all had great fun. Such a shame about the rain. We were moving our daughter out of her house in South Ealing and were about half way through when the rain came. I bet you were tired but happy by the end of the event.